Germany’s Angela Merkel endorses would-be successor Armin Laschet at election rally

Merkel will step down after Germany’s September 26 elections, but her conservative CDU-CSU alliance is struggling to find favour with voters

The coronavirus pandemic, deadly floods and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have put pressure on Merkel’s government

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Armin Laschet, chancellor candidate for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), wave during the CDU and Christian Social Union (CSU), election campaign launch in Berlin on August 21. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 7:20pm, 21 Aug 2021Updated: 9:42pm, 21 Aug 2021

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday gave her would-be successor Armin Laschet a ringing endorsement, in a bid to shore up his ailing election campaign which has triggered fears their party could crash out of government.

Merkel’s conservative CDU-CSU alliance has led Germany in various coalitions since 2005 when she took office, but the country’s future new government has been thrown open as her departure from the political stage nears.

The 67-year-old veteran will step down after September 26 elections and has so far refrained from commenting about who she preferred to take over from her.

But on Saturday, at a key election campaign rally, she came out to voice strong backing for Laschet.

“It has always been important to him to place the individual and their inviolable dignity at the centre of everything … I am deeply convinced that it is precisely with this attitude that [he] will serve the people of Germany as chancellor,” she said at the rally.

While Merkel’s popularity ratings have held steady in the twilight of her reign, Laschet has struggled to find favour with voters.